Familiar Places
Mala Reinhardt
Akosua is a queer, Ghanaian-German, polyamorous woman who wants a child. She divides her time between three cities: Berlin, her main home with partner Nana; Düsseldorf, where she grew up and where her parents live; and Accra, where she hopes to build a future, possibly with her Ghanaian partner, Isaac.
Over the course of three years, Akosua’s best friend—and the film’s director—Mala Reinhardt documents her journey, sometimes appearing in front of the camera herself. While Akosua searches for a way to become a parent, Mala unexpectedly finds herself pregnant during filming. In conversations with her father, Mala, Nana, Isaac and Ghanaian performance artist and LGBT activist Va-Bene Elikem Fiatsi, Akosua explores what it means to be both Black and queer.
The film resonates on multiple levels, allowing viewers to share key moments with Akosua and the people in her life – such as Nana’s name-change appointment. This intimacy is reinforced by Antonia Kilian’s camera work and Katharina Voß’s editing. As the documentary unfolds, Mala increasingly takes on a dual role, both behind the camera and as a subject within the film, becoming a protagonist herself. Together, the two women share experiences and emotions as daughters of a German and a non-German parent; they reflect on their friendship, their identities and the ways they navigate the world.

Mala Reinhardt
Mala Reinhardt is a director and producer of documentary films. She studied directing at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf in Potsdam and prior to that ethnology in Cologne, New Delhi and Kampala. Familiar Places is her graduation film. In her film work, Reinhardt tells untold stories through a migrant and feminist lens. Her film The Second Attack deals with racism and right-wing violence in Germany from the perspective of victims. Alongside her film work, Mala teaches at university, where she focuses on the intersection of documentary film and ethnology, she mentors young female filmmakers and she conducts artistic workshops for schools.
Films by Mala Reinhard
Der zweite Anschlag 2018 | Nhà Ba Hoa – Haus der drei Sonnenblumen (Short) 2017 | Rupa (Short) 2016